Little Island Drama
by Brandy Rogue
Summary: A small peaceful island community...what problems could they face? --ChelseaXMark
1. Chapter 1

Chelsea hauled herself down the main road on her way to Chen's shop. Her usually energetic demeanor was replaced with exhaustion. -One more errand and I'm calling it a day- she thought. She tightened her grip on a small cloth bag, feeling the coins that rested within it. It had been a hard winter and debts piled up, but now she could finally pay back the rest of what she owed Chen. The thought of being debt free lifted the young farmer's spirit's a little and she continued with a little more pep in her step.

When the shop came into sight she caught a glimpse of someone running out the door. She only saw the person from behind but she knew he didn't live on Sunny Island. She hurried inside and saw Charlie helping his dad off the floor.

"Are you alright?"

"That bastard took off with our money!" Charlie slammed his fist into his hand.

"He didn't get away with all of it, but he sure did make a mess of his escape," Chen glanced around his shop. Several items were knocked from their shelf and lay scattered on the floor.

"I came to pay off my debt. I'll help you clean up here-"

"It's alright," Chen said taking the money she offered, "you look tired. Charlie and I can get this mess straitened out, but would you do me a favor and stop off at Felicia's house? Tell let them know there's a thief about the island."

Chelsea nodded, said her farewells, and left the shop.

-whew, at least I didn't have to help clean up. Being a good citizen can be a pain sometimes-

"Excuse me."

Chelsea jolted out of thought and looked up. There was a man about her height.

"Um," He scratched the back of his head and smiled awkwardly, "I'm staying at the hotel on this island and I seem to have gotten a bit lost."

"No problem. You just want to head that way," She pointed down one of the roads, "then take a left. You should come across the hotel from there."

"Thank you…-"

"Chelsea."

"Thank you, Chelsea. I'm Mark."

"Nice to meet you. If you ever need any help just stop by my farm. It's just up this road here."

"I'd better be going before it gets too dark or I'll never find the hotel," he laughed and started to walk down the road Chelsea had indicated.

"See ya around," she waved and then headed up the road to her farm.

...

_Knock…._

_Knock knock…._

……_.._

_Knock Knock Knock Knock Knock-_

"Alright! Alright! I'm awake!," Chelsea got out of bed and slipped on a robe over her pajamas. Mark was at the door, "when I said you could stop by I didn't mean at," she looked back at the clock, "5:30 in the morning."

"It's Mirabelle. She's been robbed. They say it's pirates."

"Pirates?," Chelsea rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"Apparently there was a ship just a ways off shore. Chen's shop was attacked yesterday as well."

Chelsea flinched at that last part.

"Oh no," she groaned and slapped a hand to her forehead. Mark looked at her questioningly, "last night I was suppose to tell Felicia and Taro about the robbery at Chen's place."

"Everyone is down at Mirabelle's place now discussing the situation. Come on." Mark grabbed Chelsea's hand and started to pull her out of the house.

"Mark, wait!"

"huh?"

"I'm not exactly in the proper attire for a town meeting," Mark noticed then that she was in a robe. His face turned a bright shade of red and he readjusted his hat.

"I'll, uh, meet you there then," he said and darted off into town.

Chelsea rolled her eyes and turned back into her house to change.

At Mirabelle's, Taro was suggesting a night watch when Chelsea arrived.

"Those pirates think it'll be easy to pillage this island. I say we give them trouble and they'll leave." The retired farmer looked around the crowd for comment.

"We don't know how many there are. What if it only gives them cause to use more force? Someone could be hurt." Felicia suggested.

Chelsea found Mark standing outside the crowd with his arms crossed.

"Hey," he turned his head when he saw her walk up, "It's terrible that these pirates would take advantage of such a peaceful island. It seems like everyone is going to have to be on their toes."

"I wonder if Taro's right and they'll leave once it becomes an inconvenience for them."

"I don't know. No one here carries firearms or anything. Who knows what those pirates have on board."

"May I make a suggestion?," the circle of villagers turned to see Vaughn standing at the far end of Mirabelle's house, "It's not really any of my business, but I know someone from the mainland that might be able to help with your pirate problem."

"Who's that?," whispered Mark. "That's Vaughn. He comes to the island twice a week to deliver livestock to Mirabelle. He doesn't socialize with anyone here often."

Taro pulled forward from the crowd, "Just who is this friend of your's then?"

"He's not a friend of mine. He's a bounty hunter who specializes in pirate hunting. I don't know if he'll take the job but it might be worth your time…and money."

"Just how much money are we talking about here?," Taro inquired.

"I cant make an accurate estimate. His price isn't cheep though, that much I can say."

"Hmm…we would appreciate it if you would talk with this pirate hunter and formulate a price. Then we'll decide whether to hire him or not."

"I'll send a letter when I get a price then."

"How can we contact you with our decision?"

Vaughn's frown deepened, "You wont. I'll return next week. Have your answer ready by then."

"But what do we do until then?," Natalie blurted out.

"Like I said, it's not really any of my business," Vaughn turned and walked away towards the beach.

"Damn prick," Mark mumbled.

...

Chelsea brought her chickens inside for the night. She shut the door behind her as she left and closed the latch securely. -note to self: put a lock on the chicken coop-. As she passed the front entrance of her farm, the wild dog that frequented in the evenings scuffled in and glared over at her.

"hey dog. Sorry to disappoint you but your not scaring my chickens tonight."

The gruff dog snorted and went on his way through the field. Chelsea shrugged and went inside remembering to lock the door behind her.

She put some water on to boil and flipped through a book she borrowed from Taro titled Everything You Need to Know About Farming. It wasn't the most interesting book, but reading material was hard to come by on the island. It would be nice if a writer would move in.

The kettle hissed and whistled. She put a teabag in a mug and poured the scorching liquid into it. She took the mug back to her bed and continued reading for a couple hours.

Finishing a chapter on crop growth she decided to turn in. The dog outside must have found something to chase and terrorize because he kept yapping. Chelsea just shut her eyes and snuggled under the covers.

_Crash_

_Clank Bang_

Within a second Chelsea was sitting up in bed with the lamp switched on.


	2. Chapter 2

Chelsea sat in bed listening for another sound. The clock seemed as though there was a volume knob attached and someone had it turned up. There was a muffled clanking of metal coming from outside. Slowly, Chelsea eased out of bed and pulled her boots on. If she had to make a run for it, she preferred not to be barefoot. She picked up her hammer that was leaning up against the wall beside the door. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly then clicked open the lock and hurled the door open.

Light spilled out onto the grass. -I should have turned out the lights first- she scolded herself. She wasn't but two steps outside when that nuisance of a dog ran past barking bloody murder. Her heart nearly jumped up her throat.

"AHHH!"

Chelsea twisted around in the direction of the noise. She could make out the outline of the intruder near the shipping bin. She ran towards it which was not easy considering the large iron mallet she was brandishing. The intruder turned in her direction and stumbled backwards before falling.

"Chelsea?" She stopped dead in her tracks and nearly fell forward with the momentum.

"Mark?!" she gaped at the sight of her new friend sitting on the ground looking absolutely pathetic. His left boot was stuck through the handle of her watering can and the miserable dog was tugging on the sleeve of his jacket, growling. Chelsea took in the sight for a few moments and then burst our laughing.

"Are you done yet?," Mark pouted and crossed his arms as best he could with the dog still latched to his sleeve.

"I should be the one upset here," Chelsea stated as she came out of her giggling fit, "What are doing here at whatever the hell time it is? And what are doing with my watering can?," she said with another spurt of laughter.

"I was taking a look around to make sure none of the pirates were here stealing from you and I tripped over this can and got my foot stuck. Then I got attacked by this dog and you tried to kill me."

"Break any mirrors lately?," Chelsea set her hammer aside and tried to pull the watering can off Mark's boot, "it wont come loose. How'd you manage to get your big foot through here anyway?" Chelsea gave it another tug with no success, "it's no use. We'll have to amputate."

"What!," Mark's eyes widened in shock and he pulled his foot back from Chelsea.

"Kidding. Kidding. Try taking off your boot,"

"You sure have quite the sense of humor this late at night," he pulled his boot off and slipped his foot out easily.

"You sure have a habit of stopping by at odd hours. Now what to do with your other problem?," Chelsea pointed to the dog.

"Is it your dog?," Mark asked trying to pull his jacket from the dogs mouth, but only succeeding is making it hold it's grip tighter.

"Not really. It's a wild dog that wanders around at night. It likes to torment my chickens if I leave them outside." Chelsea yawned and sat down next to her discarded hammer, "maybe you should just give up the jacket."

"No way! This is my favorite jacket."

"Then think of the dog as an accessory." Mark frowned and tried to pry the dog's mouth open. Suddenly the dog's ear's pricked up and it darted away into town.

"That was odd. Come on, lets go see what's over there," Chelsea started to take off after the dog.

"Hey, wait for me," Mark shoved his boot back on followed after her. He was yanked aside by Chelsea, "What?"

"Shhh, I hear voices coming from over there," she pointed down the road and snuck around behind the hotel with Mark following.

"Are they the pirates?,"

"No doubt." Chelsea peeked around the corner of the hotel, "It looks like they're at Gannon's house."

"Should we try to wake him up?"

"How do you suggest we do that?"

"I don't know. Throw a rock?" Chelsea considered that for a moment then shook her head.

"Unless you're some kind of pro pitcher, I doubt either of us could throw that far."

"It's worth a try," Mark took off towards the back of Chen's shop.

"What are you doing, stupid, they'll see you," Chelsea whispered angrily, but he was already out of ear shot. She groaned inwardly and followed.

When she caught up, Mark was peering around the the corner of the shop. Chelsea tapped him on the shoulder. He put a finger to his lips and pointed at the scene. Chelsea could make out several people standing around. There were at least seven of them there and one was waving silent commands to the others from just across the road. When she turned around again Mark was looking through a pile of junk Chen had accumulating behind his shop. He pulled out an old net used for catching fish. Part of the net caught on the handle of a shovel and it hit the ground with a dull _thud_. Chelsea flinched at the sound.

On the other side, the pirate in command had heard the sound and motioned for two of his subordinates to check it out. Mark dropped the net and ducked behind some rubbish while Chelsea disappeared around the opposite corner and flattened herself against the wall.

The two pirates were scanning the area when a certain dog made his next appearance. It stood a few feet from Mark, staring at him with suspicion. Mark mouthed _go_ and tried to shoo him away, but it only resulted in the dog growling at him.

"Hey, what was that," one of the pirates whispered.

"over there."

Chelsea racked her brain for something she could do and she did the fist thing that came to mind. She screamed as loudly as she could. It came out in as a piercing shriek.

"Shit! Just leave it here. Lets go!"

There were a couple of thuds, louder than the one made by the shovel and they took off in the direction of the beach. Chelsea leaned back against the building and caught her breath.

"Chel! Lend me a hand!,"

She turned the corner to find Mark sitting on one of the pirates who was tangled up in the fishing net. That was about the time when everyone in the vicinity came rushing outside.

...

"What should we do with him?" Felicia yawned and put the kettle on the stove. Mark, Chelsea, Gannon, and Chen joined Taro and his family in discussing the new circumstances. They now had a hostage.

"I'll tell you what we'll do. We'll make a deal with them pirates. In exchange for their shipmate, they'll have to leave our island alone." Taro said

"Nah, they wont keep their word. They're thieves after all," Gannon put in.

"I have to agree with Gannon," Chen said as Felicia handed him a cup of chamomile tea, "thank you."

"We ought to give them one chance at least," said Natalie sleepily, "I mean, we cant keep this guy tied up in the kitchen forever." she pointed to a chair where the captured pirate sat silently glaring at the group.

"You're _all _right," Taro said, scratching his chin, "We'll have a hanging,"

"Father!"

"Maybe Natalie is right and we should try to make a deal," said Mark, "if it doesn't work out then we still have the option of hiring that pirate hunter." Natalie stood up and raised a hand in the air.

"All in favor of striking a deal with the pirates, say aye," Felicia, Elliot, Chen, and Mark answered.

"How exactly do you plan on contacting them? Just run out in the middle of one of their heists with ransom demands?," Chelsea questioned.

"That's a good question," said Natalie sitting back down in her seat.

"That _is _a good question," Mark restated, "and I have an idea."


	3. Chapter 3

That morning everyone fell into their usual routine. Chelsea felt little enthusiasm at having to perform her usual farmer's duties. After the previous night's activities she was more than a little drained. Luckily she wouldn't need to water her crops today. Taro had predicted rain that afternoon and Taro's predictions never failed…ever. After setting the chickens up with enough food for the day she decided to head over to the animal shop to purchase more feed.

"Well good morning dear," Mirabelle chimed when Chelsea entered the shop.

"Good morning," She tried to muster up enough energy to match the shop owner's, "could I purchase about 10 bags of chicken feed?"

"Well of course dear. Shall I have Julia deliver them to your farm later?," Chelsea nodded and handed over the gold to pay for it all, "It's good to see your still working hard on that farm of yours with all this pirating business going on. I wonder how everything going. Have you heard from Mark at all today?"

"Not since he left this morning."

"I wonder what his plan is. If he doesn't hurry he'll get caught up in the storm that's moving in," Mirabelle gestured towards the window. The dark rain clouds had blocked out a lot of the sunlight and it almost looked like night was setting in already.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"And here I thought you wouldn't visit me," A pair of red eyes flashed towards the door then returned to the pages of a book held by none other than the Witch Princess, "it's been a while Markus."

"Are all these necessary," Mark moved aside a couple of stuffed teddy bears in order to find a seat, "I didn't plan to you know"

"Didn't plan what?"

"To come here," the witch arched her eyebrow, but didn't look up from her book, "you probably wouldn't know this, but while you're hiding away out here in the woods, the townsfolk are having a run-in with some local pirates."

"Oh, I know. Just because I like my privacy doesn't mean I cut myself off from the rest of the world. That ship has been circling the island for several days now. They have a sort of camp on the other side of the island."

"And here I thought you never left the woods. You just skulk around under everyone's noses."

"I do not," the witch snapped her book closed indignantly, "the reason I stay here is because it's quiet and I can get work done. If you weren't such an ignorant snot nosed brat you'd know that I'm fully capable of casting a vision spell. It's so simple even you could pull it off…"

"Boring…"

"I'm sorry, but what exactly did you come here for again?" The witch's glare was known to turn its recipient to stone (or at least scare them stiff), but it had little effect over Mark and he just grinned back.

"Why if I recall correctly, I missed your birthday last year," Mark reached into his pocket and retrieved a silver necklace with an emerald pendant, "Would this make it up to you?"

"Is that the mermaid Rachael's pendant?" the witch snatched it from Mark's hand and gazed at it adoringly, "Where'd you get something like this?"

"You know where," Mark stood up and stretched, "Well I should be going then."

"Wait," the witch shuffled over to a shelf adorned with various bottles and potions. Plucking one from the bunch she shoved it at Mark, "It's labeled. In the case you ever need it, follow the directions precisely. Got it?"

"You're awfully generous today."

"I'm in a good mood. Now, skedaddle, before I change my mind."

"Thanks."

"Isn't that what best friends are for?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Mo-om," Elliot moved some boxes off the table as Felicia placed plates and silverware down, "He's a prisoner, you're not suppose to make a feast…"

"I'm with Elliot on this one, Felicia," Taro made his way across the kitchen, "Bread and water is all he needs."

"Listen to you two. Mr. Pirate over there is a guest and we do not treat our guests with bread and water," Felicia paused after filling each of the cups with juice, "unless that's what they want of course," She looked over to where the pirate still sat tied to one of their kitchen chairs.

"Oh, no ma'am," the pirate quickly answered then added, "whatever you're cooking over there smells real nice," Elliot and Taro shot him with glares.

"But mom, a cake?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had taken Mark a few hours to reach the beach where the pirates had set up a makeshift camp. He watched from the cover of trees and bushes. There were several men there. Most of them were lounging about, others arguing over who knows what.

-_Peons_- Mark thought to himself. He needed to find out who was in charge. Further down the beach one of the pirates was standing along the tree line drinking what could be assumed some form of alcoholic beverage. Deciding this was the easiest target; he picked up a relatively large rock and slowly approached him from behind. It was easier than even he thought it would be to knock the man out and take his pistol. Mark made sure it was loaded and then made his appearance.

"Oi," Mark gained the immediate attention of many of the pirates who instinctively reached for a weapon. Others were just too drunk to care or didn't see Mark as a big threat.

"What you doin' here boy?" One of the men stepped forward.

"I demand to speak with your superior."

"Superior? You mean the Captain?" the pirate laughed and was backed up by the other men behind him, "sorry kid, Captain don't speak to little snot nosed brats." They continued to laugh.

-_Really, is that how I come across to people?_- Mark thought while he waited for them to finish.

"Why don't you scamper back home now,"

"We have one of your men. If your Captain will not speak with me then we'll kill him."

"And what's to stop me from putting a hole between yer ears right here?"

"If I'm not back by nightfall, they'll hang him." Mark didn't really believe they would, but it seemed to work. The pirate growled something inaudible to another who started off down the beach.

...

"Yeah? What is it you're looking for boy?" The Captain had no features to discern him from any of the other pirates, but Mark could sense the authority he held among the other men.

"We have one of your men held pr-"

"Yeah, I know about all that. What is it you want? Out with it!" Mark found it hard to speak and when he opened his mouth the words didn't follow right away, "What's wrong with ye? You're wastin' my time," The Captain inspected Mark a little closer and surprise hit him like a mallet, "You're Jones' son." The pirate captain laughed heartily and gave Mark a hard pat on the back that knocked the air out of his lungs, "you know you look just like him except for the farmer's getup that is. What's this all about then?"

"I want you gone. You, them, and that ship."

"Ah, I see. I suppose if I'd known this place was yours, never would have set up here. Although I wonder what a person like you is doin' in a place like this?"

"....."

"Well seein' as you are the son of my dear ol' friend, I suppose it wouldn't such a burden to shove off, but I will be askin that ye get them natives to release Bernard first."

"Done"

"By the way, how is Jones these days?"

"Same as ever."


	4. Chapter 4

Light flashed across the sky followed by a beastly growl. A second streak of lightning and a booming roar that shook Chelsea's house so that she thought it might fall to pieces. Gripping the handle of a small screaming kettle, she sighed and poured the steaming water into a mug. The best way to calm the nerves was a warm cup of relaxation tea.

Carrying the steaming mug over to the table, she tried to get her mind off the storm raging outside, but all that she could think of otherwise was her crops suffering damage outside (she was relying on the income to pay Gannon to install her very own bathroom in the house). There was also Mark who, as far as she knew, hadn't returned yet.

A particularly loud crash of lightning jerked her from her thoughts. The storm had to right over the island now and the wind picked up, beating against her house with a force she again feared might take it down. It whined and shuddered. The lights even threatened to go out. Chelsea bit her lip and held her breath. It wasn't long before the wind let up a bit.

She took a few deep breaths and sipped her tea. Ever since the storm that landed them on this island, Chelsea couldn't help the fear that seared through her veins when one hit the island. Sometimes she could still see the raging waves that threw their ship around like a beach ball one the water. Soon the lightning came less frequently and with less force than before, but the wind still howled outside throwing torrents of rain down.

Chelsea rubbed her temples and walked her half filled mug to the sink. She flipped a switch that left half her house in the dark. The infuriating tik of the clock pulsated in her brain. She took it from the wall and stuffed it in a drawer then collapsed onto her bed. She closed her eyes and quickly started to fall into unconsciousness.

In the distant reaches of her mind she heard a faint tapping sound. It was coming from the house. It wasn't the clock or the rain. It could be the faucet was leaking. She cracked open her eyes and slowly got up. Someone was at the door. As soon as she opened it, water jumped in and started forming mini puddles on the wood floor. Outside was a very tired and very wet Mark. It took a moment for Chelsea to react before she practically yanked him inside.

"Mark, are you all right? Don't tell me you were out in that storm all this time," Chelsea ran to the storage closet and pulled out a few dry towels. She handed them to Mark and took his dripping hat and jacket, hanging them on the coat hooks by the door. Mark's teeth clattered together as while he dried himself off as best he could. Meanwhile Chelsea had gone to find the spare blanket she kept for cold winters. It was soft and warm and soon Mark's shivering subsided.

"Sorry about the floor," he glanced at the pool of water around his feet.

"It's fine," Chelsea assured him, "You should sit down," she started to walk over to the table. Mark removed his shoes before following though his socks were just as wet and muddy. Chelsea went to the kitchen and flipped the stove back on, "Do you like Relaxation tea?"

"Yeah, that would be great," Mark sat down at the table. In the center was a box of tissues. He plucked a couple from the box to blow his nose then stuffed them in his pocket. Chelsea placed a cup of tea in front of Mark and sat down in an adjacent chair. Mark took a sip of the hot drink then set it back down. He looked over at Chelsea who stared at him expectantly, but held back the questions on her mind.

"Some storm, huh?" he laughed weakly. Chelsea couldn't hold back her questions anymore.

"Where have you been all this time? And what were you doing out there?" Mark looked down at his cup and took a long drink.

"I was… looking for pirates," he said and quickly continued before Chelsea could interrupt, "I mean they must have a camp on the island somewhere right?" Chelsea wanted so much to get her hammer and knock some sense into him, but refrained from doing so.

"Are you insane?" Mark jumped when Chelsea's hand made contact with the table producing a loud slap, "You take off to look for pirates all on your own? And what exactly were you planning on doing if you found them? You couldn't possibly think that you alone could take on a hoard of pirates, did you? Or did you plan on just walking right on up to them and asking them to leave? Mark what if they kidnapped you and held you for ransom? Or…what if they killed you?"

"What if they had? Would you miss me?" Chelsea thought about for a moment. She'd only met Mark a few days ago, but…somehow he seemed less distant towards her than many of the other people living there were. She balled her hand into a fist much like a hammer and hit him smack on the top of his head though not too hard.

"Just…don't do stupid things like that again," She paused, then added, "And next time tell me when you plan on taking a trek around the island in the middle of a thunder storm." She retracted her hand and they sat there in a calm silence, both soaking in their own thoughts.


	5. Chapter 5

Birds chirped musically outside. Mark cracked his eyes open and propped himself up. "_Where am I?"_ he thought briefly and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Slowly he got to his feet and stretched. He winced as his back cracked loudly. After sleeping on a hardwood floor all night, he'd be glad to sleep in his own bed at the hotel again (no matter how uncomfortable the mattresses are).

The light filtering through the curtains told him the sun was up, but he couldn't find a clock to know just how long he'd been asleep. He glanced over to the bed in the corner where Chelsea was snoring peacefully. A wave of nausea hit him as he became painfully aware of how hungry he was.

Chelsea's kitchen was relatively clean aside from the layer of dust that had settled on the just about everything. Mark opened the refrigerator. He had to gawk for a moment at the virtually empty shelves. All that occupied it was a bundle of shiitake mushrooms; hardly breakfast material. Mark shamelessly searched the cabinets, but to no avail. He sighed as his stomach gurgled and growled.

Mark grabbed his hat off the coat hook and stepped outside. The light nearly blinded him for a few minutes as his eyes readjusted. The air was still cool, but the sun shown down warmly. The storm had taken its toll on Chelsea's farm all right. Mark wandered around a bit, stepping over fallen branches and washed up stones.

Taking a look at what was left of the crops Chelsea had grown; he found a rather large tree branch that had been thrown right onto a row of corn. Underneath the stocks looked bent and broken, but he decided to move the branch anyway. He chose one end that didn't have many twigs and leaves attached and gave it a tug.

When the branch started to move, a small whimper came from within the mess of leaves. Mark stopped pulling on the branch and instead moved the leaves aside to find a small bundle of fur curled up underneath.

"What are you doing in there, dog?" Mark reached down and pulled the wet and muddy mutt out. The dog didn't complain; instead it wagged its tail so fast Mark could hear it whip the air. He set the dog down and was going to continue on the branch, but as soon as Mark put him down, the dog yelped, barked and growled bloody murder.

"Hey, hey! What's wrong with you?" Mark stepped away from the crazy dog, but it grabbed a hold of his pant leg and Mark fell backward with a thud, "are you trying to kill me you stupid mutt?" The dog jumped into his lap. It sat there looking at him and wagging its tail.

"Looks like you've made a new friend," Mark looked up to see Chelsea leaning up against the side of the house. He rolled his eyes and scowled at the dog.

"Don't be fooled. This dog is out to get me," he shooed the dog off and got back on his feet ignoring the protesting canine circling him.

"Well, there goes my profit for this season," Chelsea investigated the remains of her crops. The stocks still standing, slumped pathetically.

"Hey, maybe they'll liven back up when the sun dries things out again."

"Yeah, maybe," Chelsea smiled, though she doubted they'd produce anything of value if they did survive. There was a short silence that was broken when Mark's stomach inquired about breakfast, "Oh, I'll be right back," Chelsea dashed off across the field leaving Mark where he was with a dog staring impatiently at him. He let himself back inside and opened the curtains to let in some light then sat down at the table to wait. It wasn't long before Chelsea came back with a few eggs in hand.

"Hope you like eggs," she said and started up the stove, "sunny-side-up or scrambled?"

"Scrambled please,"

Just before Chelsea cracked open the first egg, there was a knock at the door. She set the egg back down and went to answer the door. Taro let himself in as soon as Chelsea opened it.

"Good. You're up," he glanced toward the table where Mark was sitting, "ah, and good to see you made it back in one piece. Some of us are collecting for a meeting. Your opinion is important as you play a big part in this community. You're welcome to come along too, lad," the old farmer nodded at Mark.

"You can hardly say that, Taro, when all I have are a few chickens and some withered vegetables. Anyways, is this about your "guest"?" Chelsea switched off the stove and collected the eggs to store in the fridge.

"That does need to be taken care of, but actually, this is about the letter that's come in. We have to discuss the price of hiring one of them bounty hunters."

"Well then, we might as well go get this meeting over with," Mark went to get his jacket that was still hanging by the door. It had dried, but was stiff as board and caked with mud from the day before so he decided against putting it on.

"Your house, Taro?" Chelsea asked while following everyone outside.

"What's that?"

"The meeting. Is it at your house?"

"Oh no. We're going to Chen's shop. Don't want our "guest" listening in on our plans." Taro huffed.

"Who's all showing up?" Chelsea wondered if she even really needed to be there. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to bring in a bounty hunter or not. It was true she wanted the pirates to leave, but some of the stories she'd heard depicted those types as meaner and scarier than the criminals they hunt. The very thought of one on the island would surly give her nightmares.

"Hm. Well, Chen will be there, though I'm not sure whether his son will. Gannon said he'd be there and Mirabelle is sending Julia because she herself couldn't come. The inn keeper was worried about the effects this decision might have on visitors so I'm sure he'll show up as well. Then there's you two and my grandkids."

"Who's keeping an eye on the pirate at your house?" Mark watched the bridge to the west. The water level hadn't gone down much since the rain they had the other day, but the bridge itself was passable.

"Felicia is at the house cleaning up breakfast. She doesn't care much for these affairs," Mark's stomach growled at the mention of breakfast, "Didn't you eat breakfast, boy? You shouldn't skip meals and especially not breakfast. Most important meal of the day."

"Yeah, I know." Chelsea smiled apologetically at him and Mark wondered why she wasn't just as hungry. Maybe she had gotten a snack when he wasn't looking. It had to be the mushrooms in the fridge.

At Chen's shop, everyone was already there. When Taro, Chelsea, and Mark entered, Chen quieted them all down.

"This meeting has been called on the account of the letter received by Mirabelle," Taro announced, "Julia, if you would."

"Right," she unfolded the piece of paper in her hand, "5,000g per head and free lodging," she folded the paper back up.

"That is the price for ridding ourselves of these pirates for good." Taro opened the floor for discussion. It didn't take long before the room was flooded with the ruckus sound of everyone arguing.

"This is a waste of time," Mark stated flatly then turned to Chelsea, "I'm going to take a walk, tell me how it turns out later, okay?"

"Hey, wait. I'll go with you."

"Nah, you should stay. Your opinion is important, remember?" he winked at her and left out the door.

Checking to make sure she didn't follow him, Mark snuck around the side of Taro's house and peeked in through an open window. There was the pirate, Bernard. He was still tied up to one of their chairs and Felicia was standing in the kitchen across the room with her back to the window.

Mark looked over at the pirate again who now was staring suspiciously at him. Mark signaled him to be quiet and started to think up a plan to get in and out without the farmer's daughter noticing.

Felicia walked back to the table and Mark ducked out of view. He waited a few minutes before peeking over the windowsill again. She was back in the kitchen again putting dishes in the sink. When she started the water, Mark took the chance to climb in through the window. He made his way over to the chair the pirate was tied to and made quick work of the rope.

As soon as he was freed, the pirate made a mad dash for the front door knocking a vase over in the process. Mark just stood there by the chair looking on with horror as Felicia spun around quick enough to see the escapee hurdling out the door. She then turned to Mark who was still standing by the abandoned chair.

"Mark?"


End file.
